Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution

Keeping Cool Cooking With The Kids

Story by Hannah Ewan
 

Stuck for fun family summer activities? How about making some delicious desserts - there’s no better way to cool down, spend time together and teach the kids about healthy eating, all at the same time!

Forget about chemical-filled, luminous popsicles. Our yogurt pops are sweet enough to impress little sugar-monsters, and parent-pleasingly nutritious. Best of all, they’re speedy and so simple to make that the kids can do it – just make sure really little ones use a blunt knife on the bananas, and supervise use of the food processor. What’s more, see how proud they are to be holding an ice pop they’ve made all by themselves... Yogurt Pops.

Of course, the simplest summer dessert – and one of the prettiest – is a fruit salad. It may sound plain, but get a colorful and exotic variety of fruit in that bowl, throw over some poppy seeds and flaked almonds and serve with natural yogurt. Suddenly things are looking up!

Consider using more unusual fruits like star fruits, kiwis, passion fruits and watermelon, mixed up with the old favorites – bananas, pears, raspberries, strawberries. Now your fruit salad can hold its ground against any sickly supermarket dessert.

One of the lovely things about fruit salad is that it makes a great first dish for tiny children to help make. They can use a blunt knife for the soft fruit, piling it in the bowl while you tackle the rest.

Try Jamie’s beautifully simple fruit and poppy seed salad.

On a hot day, there’s no better breakfast, snack or dessert than a thick, refreshing frozen smoothie. They look so luxurious, and are sweet and filling – particularly if you add quick-cook oats. Don’t worry about making more than you can drink, because it keeps very well in the freezer - though in our experience, it doesn’t last long in there...!

Get your kids to identity each fruit as it goes into the blender – this is another good recipe to start young children on, as it introduces them to a wide range of fruits. They can chop the soft bananas with a blunt knife, and if you’re adding a spoonful of peanut butter or honey, get them to scoop it from the jar and scrape it into the blender. You can also acquaint them with the measuring spoons, and start teaching them what each one means. Math, fruit, and a delicious drink – a total winner!

Frozen Fruit Smoothies

Enjoy a summer of cooking with your kids!

About the author: Hannah is a freelance journalist from Edinburgh, who started making a mess in the kitchen when she was little and hasn't stopped since.

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